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definitions

mottle

[ mot-l ]
/ ˈmɒt l /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mottle ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), mot·tled, mot·tling.

to mark or diversify with spots or blotches of a different color or shade.

noun

a diversifying spot or blotch of color.
mottled coloring or pattern.

RELATED WORDS

stipple, freckle, sprinkle, speck, variegate, spot, flake, patch, fleck, mosaic, dapple, dot, besprinkle, pepper, bespeckle, brindle, punctate

Nearby words

  1. motser,
  2. mott,
  3. mott, lucretia coffin,
  4. motte,
  5. mottelson,
  6. mottled,
  7. mottled enamel,
  8. motto,
  9. mottramite,
  10. motty

Origin of mottle

First recorded in 1670–80; probably back formation from motley
Related formsmot·tle·ment, nounmot·tler, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mottle

  • Ginsburg put up his gloved hand and wiped clean a face that with passion had turned a mottle of red-and-white blotches.

    From Place to Place|Irvin S. Cobb

  • Let God make His sunsets: I will mottle my little fading cloud.

    Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood|George MacDonald

  • Gangs of buffalo, herds of antelope, and droves of wild horses, mottle the far vistas.

    The Scalp Hunters|Mayne Reid
British Dictionary definitions for mottle

mottle

/ (ˈmɒtəl) /

verb

(tr) to colour with streaks or blotches of different shades

noun

a mottled appearance, as of the surface of marble
one streak or blotch of colour in a mottled surface

Word Origin for mottle

C17: back formation from motley
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for mottle
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper